Tokyo, Japan - November 18, 2005
Inclosia™ Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company and developer of innovative enclosure technologies, today announced a signed licensing agreement with Japan's SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd., a leading supplier of injection molding for cosmetic and precision mechanical parts and member of the ARRK Global Network. Under the terms of the agreement, Inclosia Solutions will license the capabilities and technologies of its EXO™ Overmolding System family to SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd. The agreement will allow SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd. to bring additional advanced decoration technology to its already extensive mold to assembly services.
The EXO Overmolding System technology is a manufacturing process that enables the incorporation of a wide variety of decorative materials like wood, metal and designer fabric - leather, metallic, suede or denim, onto injection-molded plastic enclosures. In the EXO process, a decorative insert is placed inside the cavity of a steel mold and combined with plastic by injection molding. The result is a highly decorative and durable enclosure, which adds the luxurious natural look and feel of a real material done in a mass production environment. Utilizing the versatility of precision injection molding and the advanced material lamination, the EXO technology dramatically increases the design flexibility of choosing decoration materials, bridging the gap between fashion and functionality for a wide variety of applications such as mobile phone, handheld electronics, cosmetics, and automotive.
"Our customers are recognizing that the enclosure is playing a larger role in the commercial success of their products. Luxury materials like fabrics, woods and metals combined with plastics will make it possible to bring a whole new level of differentiation to our customers products," said Mr. Masahiro Hirabara, Executive Managing Director, Sol-Plus Ltd. "Through our agreement with the Inclosia Solutions for its EXO overmolding system technology, we are able to bring world class enclosure technology to our existing strengths as a precision molder and assembler."
"SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd. has a 39 year history of precision molding experience and a longstanding reputation for respecting and protecting the intellectual property of those they partner with," said Tony Frencham, global business director, Inclosia Solutions. "Together with SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd., Inclosia Solutions is uniquely focused on helping brand owners realize the differentiating power of innovative enclosures. This licensing program with SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd. allows us to give brand owners access to the EXO Overmolding System technology via a supplier they already know and trust."
About Inclosia Solutions
Inclosia Solutions is a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company that delivers innovative enclosure solutions through full-service capabilities from product design through full-scale mass production. Inclosia was created to help OEMs get their products noticed in today's electronics marketplace. Inclosia draws on Dow's material expertise and product development capabilities to yield advanced enclosure systems for telecom, datacom and other consumer products. Inclosia provides full-service, fully integrated global product development capabilities - from concept through high-volume production - improving both product design and speed-to-market. For further information visit www.inclosia.com.
About SOL-PLUS Co., Ltd.
SOL-PLUS Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of the ARRK Global Network. Established as a plastic injection molding company in 1966, SOL-PLUS started design and building injection molds in 1969, adding printing and assembly to our service, which enables a fully integrated production service from mold to assembly. SOL-PLUS became a proud member of ARRK group in 2000, creating a unique opportunities, like concurrent engineering with other group members in product development, design, and prototyping stages creating lower cost and shorter lead-time to meet market needs. Sol-Plus has injection machines of 20t to 650t which can produce a wide range of products, from cosmetic parts to precision mechanical parts. Together with our injection machines for two-color molding, high-cycle molding related technology, and production and assembly lines, Sol-Plus can meet various needs for manufacturing and production. For more information, please visit our website at: http://www.sol-plus.co.jp/english/index.html
For Editorial Information:
Scott Ochander
Global Brand Manager, Inclosia
+1 (989) 430-2199
(Mr.) Junichi Kayanuma
Business Manager, Sol-Plus
Tel: +81 42 588 0550
Kazuko Kimoto
The Dow Chemical Company
+81 35 4602201
